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Defy Dementia Episode 20: Teaming Up for Transitions to Long-Term Care

Moving a family member or friend to long-term care can be very difficult. The newest episode of Defy Dementia explores practical ways to help make the transition easier for everyone. Liane Pelissier shares her experience moving her father to long-term care following his dementia diagnosis. Then, Dr. Jasneet Parmar (University of Alberta) encourages us to define the term “caregiver” more broadly and outlines the benefits of a team-based, caregiver-centred approach to care, with tips for caregivers and healthcare providers. Tune in to discover strategies to improve outcomes for residents, their families and the broader healthcare system.  
 

 

Key actions (caregivers)

  • Identify yourself as a family caregiver. 
  • Let the care team know who you are and your role in your loved one's care. 
  • Communicate with healthcare providers in a timely way.  
  • Share updates and concerns as they arise to ensure effective collaboration. 
  • Share in the decision making; you’re a partner on the care team.  
  • Be an active participant in care discussions. 
  • Express your own needs, especially if you need support. 
  • It is important to maintain your well-being while caring for your loved one, so ask for help when you need it. 

 

Key actions (healthcare providers) 

  • Caregivers need to be acknowledged and recognized as experts in the care of their loved ones. 
  • Recognize their unique perspectives about the care and needs of their loved ones. 
  • Partner with family caregivers in the ongoing care of residents. 
  • Work together to ensure seamless, person-centered care. 
  • Actively seek out family caregivers to learn about the resident. 
  • Ask for their input to better understand the resident’s health history and care preferences. 
  • Ask family caregivers about their needs and help support them.  
  • Regularly check in and offer resources or assistance to ease their caregiving journey. 


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Learn more about our guests

Liane Pelissier has more than 19 years of experience working in long-term care, and was a caregiver to her dad, who was diagnosed with vascular dementia. He transitioned to long-term care in 2016 and died in 2018. At the time of his admission, Liane was a Resident and Family Services Coordinator at a long-term care home. Liane has a background in social work and is a certified Gentle Persuasive Approach Coach through Behavioural Specialists of Ontario. She is currently a Client Services Manager at Family Councils Ontario, an NGO that advises caregivers of individuals living in long-term care. She gives presentations to family councils and long-term care staff, promoting collaboration, talking about conflict resolution and guiding caregivers through the transition process. Recently, Liane was a lead writer of a comprehensive transition guidebook for caregivers in Ontario, called Making the Move to Long-Term Care

Dr. Jasneet Parmar is a Care of the Elderly physician and a Professor in the Department of Family Medicine, at the University of Alberta. She currently works in the Homeliving Care of the Elderly Services and provides assessments to homebound older adults. Dr. Parmar is on the front line of transitioning people to long-term care and works directly with their family caregivers. She is very active in developing and implementing clinical programs for the care of older adults. Her research focuses on supporting family caregivers through the healthcare system. With colleagues from the University of Alberta, she created an education program for long-term care staff (and eventually caregivers and doctors) called Caregiver-Centred Care. Its goal is to focus care on caregivers, recognize their unpaid work and draw on them for information about their loved ones living in long-term care. The Caregiver-Centred Care education program is now being taught at 44 long-term care homes in the Edmonton area.